Cabinet assembly for an expansible cabinet

ABSTRACT

An expansible cabinet assembly in which aligned ends of U-shaped laterally positioned rails are secured to opposite sides of a wall panel by a stud connection with a quick acting lever and cam arrangement that draws the ends of the rails in abutment with structures on the wall panels that restrain lateral or rotational movement of the assembled rails on the wall panel.

United States Patent 1 [H13,586,408

l [72) Inventor ilobert'l.l)lckson [56] ReferencesCited El al Cam.UNITED STATES PATENTS Qm' fif 'zff 2,514,631 7/1950 E|vers..; 312/107Paemed June 2,969,269 1/1961 Shelly 312/107 {73] Assignee Dickson-Smith,Inc. Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson El Cajon, Calif. Attorney-Carl RBrown [54] CABINET ASSEMBLY FOR AN EXPANSllBLE l CABINET ABSTRACT: Anexpanslble cabmet assembly m which lo chum 7 mm aligned ends of U-shapedlaterally positioned rails are secured [52] US. Cl 312/107 to oppositesides of a wall panel by a stud connection with a [51] Int. Cl A47b77/00, quick acting lever and cam arrangement that draws the ends A47b87/00 of the rails in abutment with structures on the wall panels that[50] Field of Search 312/107; restrain lateral or rotational movement ofthe assembled rails 1 220/97 on the wall panel.

PATENTEUJUN2 2 IBTI SHEET 1 OF 3 INVENTOR ROBERT T. DICKSON ATTORNEYPATENTEU m2 2 |97l SHEET 3 OF 3 |NVEN'TOR. ROBERTT. DICKSON ATTORNEY ICABINET ASSEMBLY FOR AN EXPANSIBLE QAIIINET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONExpansible cabinet structures have been made from interchangeable partsand components that allows the cabinet structures to be selectivelyexpanded or contracted for particular types of uses and installations.Such expansible cabinet structures and their components can be massproduced in various sizes at a factory and then assembled at the pointof installation and use. The assembly of such cabinet structures isgenerally flexible enough that the cabinets can be expanded orcontracted at the time of installation, and after installation componentparts then can be easily and quickly removed or changed in positionwithout disturbing other pans of the installed cabinet structure.However, it is particularly advantageous that such cabinet structuresutilize means for connecting the various parts together in a quick andeasy manner that assures that the assembled parts and components arerigidly held in the correct position and alignment in final assembly.Further it is advantageous that the interchangeable and expansiblecabinet structures have the appearance of fine furniture. Thus it isadvantageous to have a new and improved means for connecting theinterchangeable parts and components in a quick and easy manner thatholds the component parts rigidly together and yet provides theappearance of fine furniture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an exemplary embodiment of this invention,wall members are spaced along the length of an expansible cabinetassembly. These planar wall members are interconnected by U- shapedchannel rails that are secured at their ends in a substantially normaldirection to the sides of the wall members. The wall members haveopenings therethrough for connector means that secure adjacent ends ofthe rails in abutting contact with the wall members. The wall membersalso have holding means that coact with the ends of the U-shaped railsfor holding the rails in a given position on the sides of the wallmembers and prevent the rails from moving laterally or inaxialrotational movement on the wall members. The connector means employremovable plates that abut against tabs in the U-shaped rails. Theplates are interconnected by studs that pass through the openings.Lever-operated camming mechanisms are secured to one end of the studs toquickly and easily draw the plates and the ends of the rails intoabutting pressure contact against the wall members. This combinationstructure permits the cabinet assembly to be quickly and easilyassembled at the point of installation and to be thereafter expanded orcontacted in a modular-type construction by allowing the rails to bequickly and easily removed and reinstalled as necessary. Thus thecabinet structure is made up entirely of quickly and easily installed orremoved, interchangeable parts and components that are mass producedwith relatively close tolerances in various sizes at the factory.

It istherefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improvedcabinet structure that is made up entirely of interchangeable parts andcomponents.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedcabinet assembly structure that has quick connect and disconnect meansfor connecting the component parts together in a rigid and securemanner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedcabinet assembly structure that is capable of using U-shaped railmembers and other assembled components made of metal or other suitablematerials.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedexpansible cabinet assembly with interchangeable components that employnew and improved means for holding the interchangeable componentstogether without movement therebetween when in the assembled condition.

Other objects and many advantages of this invention will become moreapparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and anexamination of the drawings wherein like reference numerals designatelike parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially exploded, of an assembly of thecabinet structure.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a complete multiple unit assembly.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view with parts broken away and with the cammingmechanism reversed in position, of the embodiment of FIG. 5 insubstantially assembled form.

.FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view that is partially explodedillustrating the means of interchanging portions of the structure.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective-view of a modified embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one end of the U-shaped rail in themodified embodiment of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. ll, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the cabinet assembly structurecomprises planer wall panels or members 18, 20, 21 and that form theends and dividing walls of the cabinet units that are secured togetherby U-shaped rails. The U- shaped rails include front base rails 10 and26, a rear base rail 12, and front upper rails 14,22 and 24. The railsare made of metal or other suitable materials, in various predeterminedlengths at the factory to provide different widths between the walls forexpansible and contractable structures, but have standardized ends forcommon attachment means. The end walls, such as wall 18, has an outercover surface 38 that may be of any suitable material. Walls 18, 20 and21 may be made of wood or other suitable materials. Each wall has aplurality of holes 36 vertically displaced for providing means forsupporting shelves, drawers 16 and the like in the assembled cabinetstructure.

The lower side surfaces of each of the wall members 18 and 20 havespaced grooves 40, 42, 72 and 74 for receiving the U- shaped ends of thebase rails 10 and 26. The opposite sides of the U-shaped rail 10, forexample, has end edges 76, 78, 82 and 84 that extend slightly beyond theends 80 and 86 of the remaining or other side. These end edges projectinto the channels 72 and 74, for example and in conjunction withconnecting bolts 70 and 90, hold the base rail 10 from lateral orrotative movement in the assembled condition. Each of the U- shapedrails have inwardly directed tab portions 66, 68, 108 and 176. Aremovable plate 64 abuts against the tab portions 66 and 68 in themanner illustrated. Stud 70, for example, extends through openings, suchas openings 102, 44, 46, and 48, through the wall members 18 and 20.Each end of the studs are threaded with one threaded'end passing througha hole in plate 168. A nut 170 is secured to the threaded end, or thestud may comprise a bolt with the normal head and with the other endbeing threaded. The other threaded end of the bolt or stud 160 passes,for example, through the opening in wall 150 and through a hole in plate158, and threadably engages a bearing member 164 in the cammingmechanism 162. The plate 158 abuts against the raised tabs 176.

The camming mechanism 162 has an offcenter, curved, cam surface 166 thatupon pivotal movement of the arm or lever rotates the camming surface166 sufficiently to bear against the plate 158 and draw the plates158and 168 and the ends of the rails I72 and 174 in an axial directiontoward the wall member Further the rotating of the lever in the cammingmechanism 162, locks the lever'in the position illustrated in FIG. 4.Thus in FIG. 1, the threaded end of stud 70 passes through opening 106in plate 64 and engages the camming mechanism 62 in the mannerdescribed.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the front edge of the wall member 150 has areduced thickness 156 with parallel shoulders 157. The shoulders 157 areso spaced from the front edge of the wall 150 that the U-shaped rails172 and 174 abut against the shoulders 157. A front channel member152having slots with surfaces 153 and 154 fit over the reduced diameterend 156 and abut against the outer surface of the two rails I72 and 174.The front channel member 1152 is secured to the wall member 150 by anyappropriate connection means, such as screws or the like, passingthrough holes, such as hole I04 in FIG. 1, in the front channel member.The front channel member 152 in the secured position holds the railmembers 172 and 174 rigidly in position and prevents rotational movementor lateral movement of the rail members 172 and 174. The front channelmember 92, see FIG. 1, also has a recessed rectangular area inconjunction with the shoulder portion and with hole 102, for receiving afront rail member in the opening in the manner previously described.Other rail members 22 and 24 may be similarly secured or passed throughthe wall members, as for example wall member 21, to provide other wallmember assemblies.

It may be understood that the camming device 62 or 1162 in connectionwith the studs 70 or 160, rigidly secure the ends of the rails membersin abutting contact with the respective wall members. However, in orderto provide optimum rigid holding of the rail members, the the shoulders157 and the front channel members 152 function as additional rigid meansfor positioning of the respective rail members as does the channels 72and 74 in coaction with projecting ends 82 and 84.

As previously stated, it is particularly important that the rail membersnot only are rigidly held in position to perform their structuralsupport function, but also that the rail members are rigidly held fromrotative or lateral movement relative to the wall members. In themodified embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 the wall member 282 has theopenings 316 and has a reduced in thickness front edge portion 306. Thefront channel member 304 fits over the front edge portion 306 and abutsagainst the shoulders in the manner illustrated and is held in positionby any suitable attachment means, not shown. Each side of the frontchannel member 306 has spaced, parallel shoulders 308 that form alongitudinal groove in which the end of the rail members 284 and 286fit. The surface of the strip sides 302 of the front channel member 304has a longitw dinal ridge 310. The rails 284 and 286 have knife edges312,

- 314 and 315, see FIG. 7. The cam mechanism 288 has the previouslydescribed bearing nut 296 that is secured to the end of a stud 29. Thestud 29 passes through opening 303 in plate 298 in the manner previouslydescribed in FIG. 4. When the cam mechanism 288 bears against plate 292,the respective ends of the rails 284 and 286 are drawn into abutmentwith the sides of the front channel member 304. Since both the rails 284and 286 and the front channel member 304 are made of suitable hardmaterial, such as metal or other suitable materials, the knife edgesbite into the ridge 310 and holds the rails 284 and 286 from verticalmovement in the channels formed by the shoulders 308. Thus the railmembers are held against rotational and lateral movement relative to thewall member In assembly, see FIG. 1, the wall members are held in abasic position by being secured by angle supports 50 and 60 to rail 16.The appropriate base rails and front rails are assembled and secured tothe wall members 18 and 20. After the rail members are secured inposition, then the front channel members are secured in the mannerpreviously described by inserting appropriate screws or the like throughholes 104. Then shelves, runners for drawers and the like are supportedon appropriate supports secured in openings 36. Doors, as for exampledoors 112 and 114, are secured to the wall members 18 and 20 byappropriate hinges, not shown.

It may be understood that in this construction, the metal U- shapedrails are a major structural component of the assembled modularconstruction and provide light weight, improved strength, and ease ofmanufacture. The assembled structure may be quickly and easilydisassembled by merely removing the front channel member 92 in theembodiments of FIGS. 1 through and then operating the release lever ofthe camming mechanism that through sliding movement of the plates 64allow the rail members to be moved forward and from the structurewithout disturbing the countertop 110 that may be secured to the uppersurface of the wall members 18 and 20.

With respect to the embodiment in FIGS. 6 and- 7, the camming mechanism288 is initially loosened by pivoting in the manner previouslydescribed. Then the front channel member is removed from the frontsurface of the wall member 282 and the rail members 284 and 286 aremoved with the front channel member 304 with the plates 292 and 298sliding out of the U-shaped rail members. Thus the structure in FIGS. 6and 7 allows a quick and easy disassembly of the structure withoutaffecting other component parts of the structure.

Having described my invention, I now claim. I. In a cabinet assembly, awall member having an opening therethrough, at least a pair of U-shapedchannel rails secured at one of I their ends over said opening inaligned and substantially normal position to opposite sides of said wallmember, connector means passing through said opening and securing saidpair of rails in abutting contact with said wall member, said connectormeans having plate means secured in said channel rails adjacent saidends and retainer means for passing through said opening and drawingsaid plates and said ends of said rails axially towards each other, andsaid wall member having holding means coacting with the ends of saidrails for holding said rails in a given position relative to said wallmember. 2. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, saidholding mans includes at least one slot in the side surface of said wallmember, and the end of at least one side of said U-shaped rail extendsbeyond the ends of the other sides of said U-shaped rail to fit intosaid slot. 3. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, saidholding means includes a pair of spaced and aligned slots in the sidesurface of said wall member, and the ends of the pair of opposite sidesof said U-shaped rails extend beyond the end of the other side of saidU- shaped rails to fit into said pair'of slots. 4. In a cabinet assemblyas claimed in claim 1 in which, said holding mans includes alongitudinal strip secured to each side of said wall member in alignedpositions, said strips have openings therethrough that are aligned withsaid opening through said wall member; and said strips have at least onelongitudinal raised shoulder for fitting against the sides of said endof said rails for preventing axial rotation of said rails. 5. In acabinet assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which, each of said stripshave a raised ridge that is spaced from and extends longitudinally withsaid shoulder, and said ends of said U-shaped rails have a narrow edgesurface for penetrating into said ridge, holding said ends of said railsin a given position along the length of said strips. 6. In a cabinetassembly in claim 5 in which, said wall member has a front edge with ashoulder spaced from said front edge and parallel to said edge on eachof said sides of said wall member, and said strips forming oppositesides of a U-shaped channel member that fits over said front edge with aside edge of each of said strips abutting against said shoulders. 7. Ina cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, said holding meanscomprises a rectangular recess in each side of said wall member forreceiving said end of said rails. 8. In a cabinet assembly as claimed inclaim 1 in which, said wall member has a front edge with a shoulderspaced from said front edge and parallel to said edge on each of saidsides of said wall member, said opening being so spaced from saidshoulders that said end of each of said rail abuts against the adjacentshoulder, a U-sltaped channel member for fitting over said front edgewith the edges of the opposite sides of said channel member abuttingagainst said shoulders,

pivoting cam means having a cam surface and lever secured to the otherend of said stud for exerting tension on said stud by moving said leverand rotating said cam surface against the other of said plates.

1. In a cabinet assembly, a wall member having an opening therethrough,at least a pair of U-shaped channel rails secured at one of their endsover said opening in aligned and substantially normal position toopposite sides of said wall member, connector means passing through saidopening and securing said pair of rails in abutting contact with saidwall member, said connector means having plate means secured in saidchannel rails adjacent said ends and retainer means for passing throughsaid opening and drawing said plates and said ends of said rails axiallytowards each other, and said wall member having holding means coactingwith the ends of said rails for holding said rails in a given positionrelative to said wall member.
 2. In a cabinet assembly as claimed inclaim 1 in which, said holding mans includes at least one slot in theside surface of said wall member, and the end of at least one side ofsaid U-shaped rail extends beyond the ends of the other sides of saidU-shaped rail to fit into said slot.
 3. In a cabinet assembly as claimedin claim 1 in which, said holding means includes a pair of spaced andaligned slots in the side surface of said wall member, and the ends ofthe pair of opposite sides of said U-shaped rails extend beyond the endof the other side of said U-shaped rails to fit into said pair of slots.4. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, said holdingmans includes a longitudinal strip secured to each side of said wallmember in aligned positions, said strips have openings therethrough thatare aligned with said opening through said wall member, and said stripshave at least one longitudinal raised shoulder for fitting against thesides of said end of said rails for preventing axial rotation of saidrails.
 5. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which, each ofsaid strips have a raised ridge that is spaced from and extendslongitudinally with said shoulder, and said ends of said U-shaped railshave a narrow edge surface for penetrating into said ridge, holding saidends of said rails in a given position along the length of said strips.6. In a cabinet assembly in claim 5 in which, said walL member has afront edge with a shoulder spaced from said front edge and parallel tosaid edge on each of said sides of said wall member, and said stripsforming opposite sides of a U-shaped channel member that fits over saidfront edge with a side edge of each of said strips abutting against saidshoulders.
 7. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, saidholding means comprises a rectangular recess in each side of said wallmember for receiving said end of said rails.
 8. In a cabinet assembly asclaimed in claim 1 in which, said wall member has a front edge with ashoulder spaced from said front edge and parallel to said edge on eachof said sides of said wall member, said opening being so spaced fromsaid shoulders that said end of each of said rail abuts against theadjacent shoulder, a U-shaped channel member for fitting over said frontedge with the edges of the opposite sides of said channel memberabutting against said shoulders, and said opposite sides of said channelmember having notched openings for fitting around said ends of saidrails, and holding said ends of said rails from rotational or lateralmovement.
 9. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which, theopposite sides of each of said channel rails has inward projecting tabportions adjacent said ends, and said plate means abuts against said tabportions.
 10. In a cabinet assembly as claimed in claim 9 in which, saidretainer means comprises a stud that extends through said opening withone end secured to one of said plates, pivoting cam means having a camsurface and lever secured to the other end of said stud for exertingtension on said stud by moving said lever and rotating said cam surfaceagainst the other of said plates.